Wrong string in a D'addario EFW74 set

[Sevelos]

Just wanted to tell you about a weird thing that happened to me:
Although a Thomastik man myself, due to several recommendations in this site I decided to order a set of D'addario EFW74 flatwound strings for my mandolin and give them a try.
When I opened the set and started winding the strings, a weird thing happened - one of the G strings refused to fit into the nut slot, however hard I pushed it.
On a closer examination I noticed that this G string is very thick, while its twin is normal. My guess is that a flatwound guitar string (lower E or A) was somehow exchanged for one of the mandolin G-strings.
After a brief chat with Amazon they agreed to send me another set, which turned out Ok.

In all my years of playing mandolin and guitar, this is the first time something like this happens

[Tom C]

One year at Grey Fox I bought Kueger Bros 3 CD set. On way home I listened to first CD, Then put in the 2nd. Same songs even though the label was different. I called the number in N.C listed and got transferred to Switzerland. Ohhhh. that beautiful voice on the other end still has me wondering...."

[terzinator]

One time at the Tim Horton's in Fort Frances, Canada, they put ranch dressing on my snack wrap instead of mayonnaise.

When I got no satisfaction from my (admittedly overly snarky) email to the president of the company, I called the corporate office, and on the hold music, do you think I would have heard mandolin music? No! Bruce Cockburn, which makes sense, because he's from Canada.

A thing like that!

[Ted Eschliman]

Many are unaware but as this happens so statistically infrequently, finding a wrong string in a package is a bit like finding a four leaf clover. It's considered a sign of good luck.

[Rob Meldrum]

The folks at D'Addario are extremely responsive. Based on a couple of calls I had with them a year or so ago I am confident they would have resolved the situation to your satisfaction. :-)

[Willie Poole]

A few years ago I ordered a set of GHS Silk and Bronze strings and none of the strings were silk, I notified them and they sent me another correct set, I used the first set and that's when I decided that the A-270`s sounded as good as the S&B ones and cost less....

I have had the same conditions as mentioned above with two different CD`s having the same songs...Quality control just isn`t perfect sometimes....

Willie

[Mandoplumb]

Several years ago the bluegrass gospel group I played with cut a Christmas CD. When we got the first 500 back from the manufacturer the pictures and song title list were correct but the music on the CD was a female almost opera singer!

[ddawson2010]

Just wanted to tell you about a weird thing that happened to me:
Although a Thomastik man myself, due to several recommendations in this site I decided to order a set of D'addario EFW74 flatwound strings for my mandolin and give them a try.
When I opened the set and started winding the strings, a weird thing happened - one of the G strings refused to fit into the nut slot, however hard I pushed it.
On a closer examination I noticed that this G string is very thick, while its twin is normal. My guess is that a flatwound guitar string (lower E or A) was somehow exchanged for one of the mandolin G-strings.
After a brief chat with Amazon they agreed to send me another set, which turned out Ok.

In all my years of playing mandolin and guitar, this is the first time something like this happens

Sevelos - please send an email to George.Santos@daddario.com and we'll get that fixed up for you. Our apologies for the inconvenience.

[DHopkins]

A recent set of D'Addario strings has a double-looped E-string. I used it. I changed strings just today which is how I got the photo,

[ferrousgeek]

Not sure what's going on with QC at D'addario. I've happily used EJ17s for years on several guitars. I recently went nuts trying to find a buzz on my relatively new dreadnaught . The buzz started after a string change. When I could not ID the source I finally decided to change strings again to see if that was the issue. New strings, same problem.

I contacted the builder who lives only an hour away and we went through the guitar trying to find the problem. After much consternation, we decided to try a string change again . This time with DRs. Problem solved.

So, two sets of D'addarios, with bad winds/ball ends, causing buzzing at the bridge. In addition to the buzzing, the strings were contaminated with a fine metal dust that turned your fingertips a metallic silver-gray when you played them. Both sets of strings were purchased at the same time, so possibly from the same production lot. I probably should have contacted D'addario, but just chalked it up to a bad experience.

[ddawson2010]

Not sure what's going on with QC at D'addario. I've happily used EJ17s for years on several guitars. I recently went nuts trying to find a buzz on my relatively new dreadnaught . The buzz started after a string change. When I could not ID the source I finally decided to change strings again to see if that was the issue. New strings, same problem.

I contacted the builder who lives only an hour away and we went through the guitar trying to find the problem. After much consternation, we decided to try a string change again . This time with DRs. Problem solved.

So, two sets of D'addarios, with bad winds/ball ends, causing buzzing at the bridge. In addition to the buzzing, the strings were contaminated with a fine metal dust that turned your fingertips a metallic silver-gray when you played them. Both sets of strings were purchased at the same time, so possibly from the same production lot. I probably should have contacted D'addario, but just chalked it up to a bad experience.

Ferrous:

Sorry to hear about this - it's certainly not something we hear we any frequency. Please email me and we'll gladly set you up with replacement. We apologize for the inconvenience of having to source the buzz issue - don.dawson2@daddario.com

[ferrousgeek]

Just received replacement strings from D'addario for the strings I mentioned earlier in this thread. Don Dawson from D'addario saw the post and contacted me with an apology for my experience and an offer to send replacements.

Big thumbs up to Don Dawson and the customer service dept. at D'addario! Their concern for my experience was genuine and their service was stellar!

Thanks again, Don.

Quote Originally Posted by ferrousgeek

Not sure what's going on with QC at D'addario. I've happily used EJ17s for years on several guitars. I recently went nuts trying to find a buzz on my relatively new dreadnaught . The buzz started after a string change. When I could not ID the source I finally decided to change strings again to see if that was the issue. New strings, same problem.

I contacted the builder who lives only an hour away and we went through the guitar trying to find the problem. After much consternation, we decided to try a string change again . This time with DRs. Problem solved.

So, two sets of D'addarios, with bad winds/ball ends, causing buzzing at the bridge. In addition to the buzzing, the strings were contaminated with a fine metal dust that turned your fingertips a metallic silver-gray when you played them. Both sets of strings were purchased at the same time, so possibly from the same production lot. I probably should have contacted D'addario, but just chalked it up to a bad experience.

Ferrous:

Sorry to hear about this - it's certainly not something we hear we any frequency. Please email me and we'll gladly set you up with replacement. We apologize for the inconvenience of having to source the buzz issue - don.dawson2@daddario.com
Don Dawson
Product Marketing Specialist
D'Addario

[Sevelos]

ferrousgeek wrote:
> So, two sets of D'addarios, with bad winds/ball ends, causing buzzing at the bridge.
> ...
> Don Dawson from D'addario saw the post and contacted me with an apology for my experience and an offer to send replacements.

They seem very responsive and responsible. They also offered me a replacement set, and I'm waiting for it to arrive in order to give them the thumbs-up in this forum.

BTW - Have you tried the replacement strings, do they also buzz? Was it really a problem with 2 bad sets, or some design incompatibility between these strings and your guitar?

[ferrousgeek]

Haven't tried the replacements yet, but I used several sets of the same make/model strings (EJ17) on that guitar beforehand with no problems.

[Sevelos]

Following Don Dawson's recommendation here, I contacted George Santos from D'Addario and told him my story.
George offered to send me another set. I wrote George again and told him that Amazon have already sent me a replacement set.
George still offered me the new set, and today I received it by mail.

Thanks!!

[Tavy]

Not sure what's going on with QC at D'addario. I've happily used EJ17s for years on several guitars. I recently went nuts trying to find a buzz on my relatively new dreadnaught . The buzz started after a string change. When I could not ID the source I finally decided to change strings again to see if that was the issue. New strings, same problem.

I contacted the builder who lives only an hour away and we went through the guitar trying to find the problem. After much consternation, we decided to try a string change again . This time with DRs. Problem solved.

So, two sets of D'addarios, with bad winds/ball ends, causing buzzing at the bridge. In addition to the buzzing, the strings were contaminated with a fine metal dust that turned your fingertips a metallic silver-gray when you played them. Both sets of strings were purchased at the same time, so possibly from the same production lot. I probably should have contacted D'addario, but just chalked it up to a bad experience.

Also remember that D'Addario guitar strings are getting quite widely faked: the only quality thing about the fakes is the packaging apparently!

I haven't heard of the same issue with mandolin strings - maybe we're not popular enough for the fakers?

[ddawson2010]

Also remember that D'Addario guitar strings are getting quite widely faked: the only quality thing about the fakes is the packaging apparently!

I haven't heard of the same issue with mandolin strings - maybe we're not popular enough for the fakers?

This unfortunately is very true - we've been seeing players show up at Festivals around the states with sets and comments/complaints. Upon further inspection, you can see that the strings are not ours. The easiest way to confirm this is to go to --> www.daddario.com/PLAYREAL - and enter the code from the baggie. Some of the tell-tales are the lock twist on around the ball-end. All Brass Ball ends are not our sets. Printing has made it so easy to make something look "REAL" - it's not until you put the sets on that you find out, they're not quite what you bargained for. If you're purchasing from retailers you know - you're probably fine. If you purchasing online, from an unknown source - be careful out there

[Dave Wrede]

Somewhere around 1985 I purchased a set of D'Addario strings from a local music store in Ankara, Turkey. It was missing the G-string. I snail mailed D'Addario (this is pre-e-mail). I received a nice letter and 2 new sets of strings in the mail within about 10 days.
D'Addario's been my preferred strings for everything ever since.

[ferrousgeek]

Also remember that D'Addario guitar strings are getting quite widely faked: the only quality thing about the fakes is the packaging apparently!

I haven't heard of the same issue with mandolin strings - maybe we're not popular enough for the fakers?

Thought of that when I had the original issue, but mine came from a well established retailer and had the appropriate colored ball ends.
I can't imagine how many millions of strings D'Addario manufactures each year, there are bound to be some occasional defective product. Perfectly acceptable.

[Treblemaker]

I worked for a year in a Guitar Store in Berkeley, CA (the now defunct 5th String) about 6 years ago and I tried every string they sold and definitively, nothing played or sounded better than D'Addario for Guitars, Mandolins, Banjos, Ukes, Basses etc.

Lifetime - I have probably purchased something like $3000 worth of D'Addario Strings for all the instruments I play and I swear by their products - the only exception being my preference in Double Bass Strings.

I always purchase from reputable dealers but I'll be on the lookout for fakes.